Long before becoming an MLS star with FC Cincinnati and playing for the United States men's national team, Brandon Vazquez was just another bordertown kid, regularly straddling daily life and a passion for soccer between two countries.
Raised in Chula Vista, California, Vazquez was discovered by scouts from Club Tijuana, a Liga MX team located a few miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. American by birth, but with a Mexican heritage, the forward occupied both worlds, crossing the border every time he trained and played with the Tijuana youth academy.